Finding Paradise
by TrailTricks
Summary: Life and Death were one of the same, at least for Yuugi Mutou. The long rest that awaited him would have to wait. The Gods required one last task before he could rest for an eternity with his one true king. Duty calls, but that doesn't even scratch the surface of his troubles. Blindshipping, Character Death, Violence, Lemons in later chapters.
1. Beginning of the end

**Title: **Finding Paradise

**Summary: **Life and Death were one of the same, at least for Yuugi Mutou. The long rest that awaited him would have to wait. The Gods required one last task before he could rest for an eternity with his one true king. Duty calls, but that doesn't even scratch the surface of his troubles. Blindshipping, Character Death, Violence, Lemons in later chapters.

**Fandom**: Yu-Gi-Oh!/Yuugiou

**Pairings:** Blindshipping (Atem x Yuugi), implied Peachshipping (Anzu x Yuugi), Other pairings will come fourth later.

**Warnings:** Character Death, Terminal Illness, Gore, Violence, Swearing, Sex, Fantasy

**Comments:** Hello everyone! This is the first chapter, and I'll have to warn ya! There will be character death and mentions of terminal illness in this one and the next chapter. That's right, the drama starts here! You have been warned.

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><p><em>Tick, tick<em>

_Tick, tick_

_Tick, tick_

The dull murmur rang into Yuugi's ears like the swift strike of a hammer bouncing off a gong. It's crash and vibrations escalating in volume and buzzing each nerve ending independently. Two hands spayed out, lingering over each bold roman numeral indicating that noon was soon to be upon them. Time was such a sensitive element deprived of fulfillment, as there were never enough to go around spending it all willy nilly. Indeed, the sands pouring in his old whimsical hourglass were about to run out, emptying each grain of grit straight down to it's generously filled pit. One cluttered with memories, laughter, sadness, anger, and all the glories at came with this freak show, roller coaster of life.

Yuugi Mutou was of 91 years by now, a man holding plenty of wisdom and experience under his thick leather belts. Gently swayed locks of white and grey blossomed out the roots of his head. His hair had surprisingly softened over the years, not wild and unruly as it once was. A pair of fine black rimmed glasses sat at bridge of his nose, which was reddened from a cold he was making an effort to recover from. With bones brittle, bandages showered his arms to hide the gashes he'd experienced from lugging himself around harder than he should have at that age. His skin was smooth and wrinkled, still soft at the touch but fragile and delicate, it's thinness resembling paper. Shoot, he had reminded himself of his own grandfather! But never as heavy set as Sugoroku. Muscles that had bounced and become swollen with gusto had died down, lean and thin underneath a layer of loose skin. His face held the tired look his grandfather worn, even if that man had burst from a never dying passion. Dear, how he missed him greatly. Yuugi would never forget that dreadful day when Grandpa wouldn't wake up one morning. He was practically running late for work when he noticed a missed call and an urgent voicemail from his mother, asking him to come to their home, and immediately. As the 30 year old came to visit the Kame Game Shop, worry flooded his mind with horrible assumptions. He knew what was going to be laid out in front of him. Sugoroku was still in his bedroom, sleeping presumably. That was when Yuugi and his mother stared in horror as they stumbled upon a still stiff body, not breathing, not moving. Yuugi had cried for hours upon end. He pleaded, praying that it was all a dream and his father figure would awake and give him one last hug or a word of encouragement. No pulse or a twitch, just simply the cold lifeless stare behind closed eyelids.

Although, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Death was simply another part of life, unavoidable and sneaky at times. But Sugoroku? The man was almost immortal, booming with life with his bass of laughter and care. Yuugi would miss that damn old man, probably more so than his own father.

_..._

Yeah, definitely more than his father.

Yuugi loved him dearly as well. Mr. Mutou just wasn't around as much as he should have, but they did have somewhat of a decent relationship between them. But when it came straight down to it? Sugoroku _was_ Yuugi's father, his caregiver, his shoulder to cry on. That man was everything. Hopefully now, he was getting rest he had long deserved, and soon... Perhaps Yuugi would join him.

_Tick, tick_

"Mutou-san!" A familiar voice rang out, high pitched and shrill as day

That's when Yuugi snapped from his senses, nearly leaping from his chair and clutched his chest tightly, panting like he'd seen a dozen filthy rodents come pouring from the ceiling. "W-What did a I say about sneaking up on me!? Nearly gave me a heart attack!" He wasn't even drifting for too long before he was yanked from his blurry daze by that kid's obnoxious tone.

The blond haired teen coughed out a hoard of a chortle. While running a finger under his nose, he held a sly grin and a broom. "Shouldn't of been sleeping then."

"_I'm old you little brat_." Yuugi spat out in a hiss, sinking lower into his reclined seat. The two were perched in the back of the game shop, in an office several strides away from the main entrance. It was mostly where Yuugi did some of his own pondering, rather than work. "I wasn't sleeping, don't you start with that," A sigh. "something you wanted Akeno?"

A snort was followed as the boy clenched his fist around the broom stick. A smart ass reply came as always. "A raise most definitely." He retorted, gaze low as he began sweeping the floor, that punk of an expression never loosening. He was surely a hot headed one, which side of the family did that even come from?

"Most definitely _not_. Not when you're scaring the daylights out of me."

"Shouldn't have been daydreamin' boss. You know do that a lot now."

Yuugi shook his head, reaching out for the crinkled newspaper sticking out from the drawer of his work desk. It was here, the old Kame Game Shop, still running after all these years, refurbished but still ever, nostalgic. It had been sealed shut ever since Sugoroku's passing. It was pitiful, but Yuugi couldn't handle keeping it thriving when he was young enough to do majority of the business himself. Living in the shop with the recent death of his grandfather would've been too depressing for him. Although his mother and father lived there until their own deaths, the shop was abandoned, collected giant wads of dust and plentiful of many outdated games. This went on until the last staggering 20 years. Yuugi Mutou swore up and down he was retired, but as soon as he heard the shop would be demolished if no one came to call claims on it, he had to have it. It _would be_ just what grandpa wanted, Yuugi could never let it go, but it did wither in dust and termites for some time.

"I've had a lot on my mind."

"Yeah, _whatever_, just don't snooze off at your desk again. Last time you did that, you woke up with all kinds of kinks in your neck." The boy, an associate under Yuugi was known as Akeno Tenshin, and one of Jounouchi's grandsons as well. He didn't carry the family name Jou was accustomed to, and why? Well it was simple indeed, all Jounouchi ever had was daughters, each of them marrying off to men who would shake in their boots if they didn't treat daddy's girls right. Sometimes being an ex-gang member came in handy. Ha, yes it was funny how the man was with his babies, an amazing father he was, definitely. Yuugi sure knew it too. Those girls of his were sweethearts, all of them daddy's princesses.

Oh how he missed him.

Jounouchi Katsuya had died from a front end car collision, around the time Yuugi got the old shop back into action. A year later, he'd lost another close friend, Honda Hiroto to heart failure and 8 years passed that Otogi Ryuuji came and was clunked out to alcohol poisoning in Las Vegas. Ryou Bakura? Alive, but no one knew of his whereabouts. But if there was one person who was fit as a fiddle and strong as an ox it was Anzu Mazaki, she was still alive and kicking life's ass. Shit, the grim reaper was scared to get round house kicked by this old and overly athletic gal. Her calves were still as powerful and strong as they always were, from the experience of dancing most of her life. It would take a lot to make her bite the dust.

Then there was Yuugi.

And by gosh, he wasn't in a good condition either.

Yuugi hacked a cough, his fist balled to conceal it. He felt fine at the moment all except for the hacking he has doing, the painkillers had finally set in though. It surely explained why Yuugi was so faded out that day. "Still sick?" Akeno's voice was filled with worry as he peered over his shoulder, glaring at the man up on down. With lips crackled with concern, his mouth jarred, agape to follow suit with another question, only to be cut off by the elder.

"_Yeah_." Came a croak of a response, clearing his sore throat. A stash of cough drops and soda sat at the floor of Yuugi's desk, along with a drawer cluttered with painkillers, presumably ibuprofen, and the doctor's prescription of Oxycontin to knock out some agonizing pain. A lozenge and a swish of ginger ale was sipped passed his lips. A few sniffles came as a Kleenex wiped away the drainage seeping from his nostrils.

This cold didn't even lightly brush over what was wrong with Yuugi.

Around a year or so ago, he was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer. The news struck him unexpectedly, damn he knew he was feeling weak but he blamed it all on old age. It was a serious situation, and at 90 years old? Yuugi didn't want much treatment.

He really didn't.

There was no point in it. He was old, sure, he's lived a great life. Something _had_ to kill him eventually, right? Hopefully his loved ones would understand. Yuugi didn't have any children unfortunately, his loved ones were usually friends, and friends of his friends. He had hardly any family left, barely any cousins that remembered him, no siblings either. No matter. If there was one thing though, it was that Anzu screamed to the heavens when she found out the news that Yuugi was withering away from a painful condition that would soon take his life. She would be the last of her closest knit of friends. It was definitely a horrible thing for anyone to sit and recognize. So for a while, Yuugi contemplated telling her about his condition and after too many excuses, he eventually caved in. Anzu damn near slapped him for it too.

The decision of denying much treatment made perfect sense to Yuugi though. Sure, a tumor taken out here and there, but all it caused him was pain from surgery, and it took away from the little time he had left on earth. He didn't want to waste not a single second. So he asked for one thing, and one thing only.

Something to numb the pain.

At the same time, Yuugi didn't want to be dosed up and high on drugs either. He took what he thought was a good amount, still plenty of nerve wracking pain, but not as bad as it could have been. He couldn't walk much, a cane assisted, but walking was a hefty chore for him. Therefore he was glad to give ol' Akeno a part time job at the shop, and to also help him out around the house.

Dead silence overcome the Kame Game Shop as Akeno was idly cleaning away the dirt trekked over the cream colored tile. A long hallway separated Yuugi's office space, leading to the shop and the rest of the Mutou home. Business was slow, but less people meant less work, and that grandson of Jou's wasn't the guy to take stress easily. Heaven forbid. If Yuugi could help more, he definitely would. His bones ached and he seemed to always be in some sort of pain. Good at hiding it, he was, but those closest to him could feel heat of his agony.

Stacks of games sat on the shelves for quite some time, some dusty, others appearing brand spanking new. The soft ticking of the wall clock was the only sound to be picked up once Akeno had ceased his broom strokes. The kid paused for just a moment, his sarcastic stance and attitude dying down to a more serious light. Hardly any customers came in today, the two chatted alone, so perhaps it was time to see if what he'd heard had been true.

_Tick, tick_

_Tick, tick_

A bob of Akeno's adam apple was in full view as he swallowed. It almost like dirt was collecting in his throat the moment he took a chance and came clean with his suspicions.

"My mom told me you had Leukemia."

It struck the elder like a chord.

That wasn't exactly a phrase he'd want to hear from the young man, but it was better to be known now than Akeno finding out once Yuugi was deceased. He glared up from his desk, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows raised and exhaled an exhausted sigh, lying just wasn't necessary now. For a long time, Yuugi wanted to avoid spilling his position to his loved ones. It hurt too much to see their reactions. "Yup." He gave a nod, eyes reddened, as they shown not an ounce of denial.

Akeno blinked in horror, lips pursed in what he hoped was anger. _Dammit._ "What the fuck? Why didn't you say anything!?"

"It doesn't matter, son."

"_The fuck it does_!" A small outburst of rage came rolling from the teen, as the broom dropped dead to the ground, it stirred up a dull clacking sound. "Really now? If I... If thought you were that sick! _I'd... I'd_-"

The younger one stiffened, a burning glare shooting dead on at the older man, now holding his arms in a tight clutch to his chest. "Y-You... You said you were sick but I didn't think... I-I didn't think it was... I..." Trying desperately not to lash out in anger, those emotions overcame him, washing over tear stained eyes. The teen was hot headed sure, but held all the passion his grandfather had. He'd even looked like Jounouchi at times, with those reflective puddles of hazel stirring in his irises, paired with the brown hair that was bleached to a dirty blond. "You never told me! I..."

The elder Mutou groaned, stroking strands of his white locks away from his line of vision. "_Enough_ Akeno." Expecting a reaction similar to this, a wave of guilt surged through him. This classic movie played like a broken record, in a spiral of constant loops with this conversation. Yuugi stood from his desk however, approaching the shaken up boy, head bowed downward and struggling to fight a sob. "Hey." He began, hand sneaking up to stroke the coarse blond hair in between his fingertips. "_Akeno_."

"St-op." The teen muttered, rubbing away tears that had given up the fight to stay locked in his tear ducts and were now rolling down his reddened cheeks. He made an effort to push Yuugi away. "I don't understand, I don't understand. You can't-."

"It's okay, son. There's nothing we can do about it, and that's okay." The older man shook his head at Akeno's bouts of distress and puffed a low sigh.

_It's always this hard_. A mental comment buzzed in Yuugi's conscious. _It will always be that way, I'm afraid_.

His hand was still buried in tuffs of dirty blond hair. Yuugi could've hugged him tightly in reassurance, but he would never be able to do anything about his situation. He would never get better. It was a fate he was forced to live with, and that within itself was a personal decision. "_Shhh... _Come on now." An arm draped over the small of Akeno's back, rubbing small circles. This was bad, it was horrible seeing him like this.

"_Please don't touch me_." Akeno whispered, inching away even more to back off from the man's affections. "Don't touch me."

Yuugi cocked his head holding a grimaced expression, one out of concern, but in hindsight he only wanted to rest of life filled with serenity. "I should have told-."

"Well you didn't! Dammit Yuugi-san! So what's going to happen now? You'll die and you don't care enough so say so?"

He cared.

I was that seeing his loved ones panic and pity for him hurt worse than feeling his bones collapse.

"I see. I'm sorry." His eyes avoided contact with the teen's, bones producing a crackling noise as Yuugi balled a fist to his side. "But it's my decision to discuss this if I want to. It's personal, and if I don't want to speak about it... I _won't._"

Akeno paused and huffed, blowing a snort. _This fucking guy. Fucking old fart._ He thought to himself. "You don't care to talk to me. Okay, whatever." It was a comment meant to be lingering under his breath, but Yuugi heard it loud and clear.

"You act like it's not hard to talk about." Violet eyes darkened as he straightened up. "**I mean it**." To speak so menacingly took more energy from him than he wanted. He lacked the patience to argue, but this was important. "You care, Akeno. I appreciate it, but I'll be damned if you think I owe you an explanation."

"Yes, I _do_ care about you! Seriously! I thought you were cool and we could talk about anything, but I guess not. Why? Because you're an adult? And I'm just a kid?"

"No." Yuugi began, voice tired, but still brooding. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh yeah? How the Hell would I know if you don't talk about it!?"

_Very, well then_. He really didn't want to go this far deep into the shallow end but he did. It was a year's worth of stress and fear overcoming him now. "I'm dying. Everyone's patting you on the back, sobbing crying. You've got years and years of life and you're running out. Do you know when? No, you don't! I could bite the dust at any given moment. Most of your friends are dead. You wake up in agonizing pain, something so small as getting up in the morning is like climbing a mountain. You can't lift your arms like you used to, you can't walk, _not even a mile_. And drugs?"

As the man rambled on, Akeno's stance seemed to lock up in disbelief.

"You want no pain? Not the slightest? Why not? Take a tablet! You'll feel drowsy, you might even get addicted to it. Everyone wants to steal your prescriptions or buy them from you so they can get a nice high off of something that might stop you from wallowing in agony. Your bones feel like snapping, some of them already have. The smallest bump into a corner will leave you bruised, get a paper cut and the bleeding won't cease until an hour later." His eyes averted to a sleeve pelted in bandages and white, blood stained wrapping. "So tell me Akeno, everyone's upset. All you want to see them happy and not spend the rest of your days seeing them cry over you. So you think I'm going to tell them that? What I just told you!? How would you feel if it was your own grandfather? Suffering, saying those things?"

"I... I didn't know..."

The teen shut his trap and stood in silence when Yuugi didn't appease him with a response. _Mutou-san_ had... Had he really been through that? He didn't think about it, really, he didn't. A terminal illness, it wasn't like the kind you saw in movies, where patients lived their life to the fullest. It didn't show them in pain, their heart crying out, injuries as well as other illnesses you obtained were never present. The media's view of these conditions were simply unrealistic, but when once the monster reared it's ugly head, it still didn't scratch the surface, not one bit.

"_Yuugi-san_." The blond's eyes softened. "I'm sorry."

The older man reached an arm out, resting a hand upon a stiff shoulder. "You didn't know. I didn't want you to."

"You're dying." Sand caught Akeno's throat at the realization.

"I am."

His legs felt like jelly, standing front center of the room. He'd caught the edge of Yuugi's desk before he would collapse. Akeno didn't understand, why did this have to happen? And to his boss and grandfather's best friend? It wasn't fair! Yuugi was old, definitely, but he deserved to at least die in peace, not when you know you're going to kick the bucket at any given moment. And it wasn't from old age either.

"I'm sorry. _I'm so sorry_."

"It's okay."

Yuugi shut his eyes for a brief moment sucking in a fresh breath of air. Once his lids flickered open he was looking over Akeno's position, bent over and sobbing like a child._ I didn't want to see you like this_.

"Except it's n-not, o-ok-ay."

"It can't be helped."

"But... It's-It's not fair."

"I know."

They went back and fourth in a metaphorical game of catch, but Yuugi had come to terms with this position he was in. He wasn't in denial, but living in such a state wasn't uncommon among many terminal ill patients. "Do you want me to be happy, Akeno?" It seemed like asking a lot, especially when the boy was still driving out the shocking news.

"Y-Yeah."

"Then stop crying."

His soft voice of encouragement made the teen stand up and look at him in the face. Dear, he looked like a mess. Yuugi's finger pads wiped away fallen tears as he drew closer to Akeno again. Poor kid, he was so unstable right now, the sarcastic air around him had crumbled into a sobbing mess. "Be happy." Yuugi tried to grin, but his eyes said otherwise.

"I don't know if I can do that right now, Sir."

Understandable. Yuugi patted him on the back. "I know son, I know. Go wash your face for me, okay?"

Akeno stood for a few seconds before he responded, those saddened eyes seemed to be glued to the floor. Tennis shoes stood over the pile of dirt and dust he'd swept previously and a weak nod was given. The teenager took a slow stride away from the elder and abandoned Yuugi to sit there with his own thoughts.

This never got easier, did it?

A puff of air blew out his nostrils as he watched the young silhouette exit through the door way. The man hated dumping the news, some took it better than others but Akeno, just as expected, took it just as hard as Anzu did.

At another given moment the shop phone rang, buzzing an annoying repetitive chirp.

Speak of the devil.

The caller I.D. was glowing a bright green as his eyes lingered over the details. _Mazaki-Domino City 11:47 A.M._ It read.

With a click of a button, Yuugi brought the phone to his ear, greeting just as he did with every call. "Good morning, Kame Game Shop? How may I help you?" What was heard on the other side was a hoard of childish snickers and laughs before a young feminine tone called out."_Um... Hello?_"

With eyebrows raised, his forehead had wrinkled up slightly, trying to decipher the owner of said voice. "Yes ma'am, how can I help you?"

"_Umm..."_ The laughter seemed to escalate before the voice of an elderly woman screamed in frustration in what was presumably sounds her trying to yank the phone from the little ones. "_Mr. Mutou, my gamma wants to speak to you if that's okay?_"

A smile curled from his lips. "Of course, Sweetheart let me speak to her."

Snorts as well as a couple of bickering and scratching sounds burst through the phone. Soon another voice came blaring through the speaker, a tone older and more exhausted. "_Damn. Hello? Hello?_"

"Hey."

"_Oh, Yuugi hey, how are you?_"

"Doing fine, sounds like you have a full house over, huh?"

"_Unfortunately._" She snorted, twisting away from the speaker to scream at another child who was in the mist of chaos. "... _The grandkids are visiting for the weekend, I knew in advance but I should've bought more snacks." _

"Oh? You're not the type to come unprepared."

"_Hush._"

Yuugi smirked, laughing lightly as he took a seat at his desk. "So that's why you didn't want me to stop by today?"

"_You know I don't care about them bothering you." _She began. "_They can be a hassle, but they know better than you taunt you with 500 questions. Besides, I've been kind of busy lately." _

"Ah, yeah. I understand, but I do need to see you soon though Anzu."

_"Hm? And why is that?"_

He'd been silent on the phone for a few seconds just before she filled in just what he'd been pondering over for the last week.

"_No, Yuugi you don't really think that-._"

"Yeah. I do. I'm sure of it this time."

His rambling was interrupted by the sight of Akeno walking back into the room. With a towel covering his face, his eyes were still red and dreary. The older one, peered up to give him a short glance. He'd tucked the phone in his neck before asking: "You okay?"

The teen nods, brushing the blond hair from his eyelids.

"If you're up to it, do you wanna practice driving again?"

"I guess... Where we going?"

"Drop me off at Anzu's. I'll call you to pick me up. You can handle the shop while I'm gone, right?"

"Mhmm."

"_Go where?_" Anzu had overheard him though. When Yuugi didn't respond to any of it, he nearly hung up. "_Wait! Yuugi! Yuugi!_"

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><p><em>Anzu's Home, 12:15 P.M.<em>

_Can't believe this guy!_ She'd mumbled, cursing at herself as she struggled to pick the clutter of mess in her home. _Dammit Yuugi coming up unannounced even after I said-Ugh this house is dirty. I shouldn't be doing this. That's what kids are f-_

_Ding dong!_

"Someone get the door! Kiki, get the door!"

"Kay! Kay!" A doll with bright baby blues stood barely three feet, leaping from the couch as her grandmother vacuumed like an underpaid French maid. Underneath chairs and coffee tables laid not a speck of dirt. She knew Yuugi didn't care if her house was messy, but then again, she would be ashamed to see her home in a state that wasn't absolutely spotless.

"_Mr. Yuuuuuuuuuuugi!_"

Anzu overheard the sudden shrill of one of her granddaughters exclaiming in joy. Out of threshold she dragged the elderly man by his pinky tugging him in the living room. "Kiki stop! That's not polite!" She'd fussed at her for the childish act. Yuugi might as well chuckled at it, but he pattered the small girl on the head. "Good to see you too, Ki."

_Tick, tick_

_Tick, tick_

"And here you are, Yuugi Mutou." Anzu Mazaki, not much older than man before her, ceases her constant cleaning to give him a glare. Hands laid on her fragile hips. "You come over even after I told you not to." She sputters. "I'm telling you, you're not going to die today. You need to stop popping in when you think you're at your wit's end."

"_You know, I really don't know about that._"

_Tick, tick_

_Tick, tick_

_..._

_Except I'm sure of it this time. _

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><p><strong>Comments:<strong> I'd hate to cut it so short! But yup here it is! So what's going to happen next? Will he, live? _Probably not_. Heads up for the next chapter to be a little graphic. I'm so excited for this story! Please review! :D


	2. Terminal Trials

**Chapter Warnings:** Character Death, Mentions of terminal illness, Swearing, Gore

**Comments:** Thanks for the follows and favorites! Good feedback. Alrighty, Let's get this train-a-rollin'. This is were it gets ugly, but it's only the beginning. It'll get better, and then it'll get worse. Hold tight! This chapter's a little short~

**Edit:** Also, to avoid confusion Yuugi gets his youth back as you can tell from this chapter. He's mentally old aged, still holding all his life experiences. That hasn't changed. It'll make sense once the next chapter is out, don't wanna spoil too much.

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><p>The depth of such a void seemed to rattle his bones, and yet made them lock tight with fear. His heart was <em>pleading<em>, begging to escape from underneath the brittle bones of his rib cage. All this, and he was so light, but unbelievably heavy. Floating, but falling, at least from what he could make sense of. The pumping and gushing sounds of such a vital muscle was exploding into his eardrums. He'd couldn't cease it, and it only seemed to be getting louder by each passing second.

Time began to slow down. _Much slower, deeper into that eternity of space_.

_Deeper down. _

_Farther._

_Now relax._

What was that? Flooring? His feet bare? But yes, a floor, sweet safe gravity. Stone carvings, brown, silver and cerulean mosaic tiles brushed from underneath his feet as he finally settled to the bottom. He became unbelievably stiff as if underneath a wicked witch's spell, his neck would not allow him to look up to see where he had been transported to. The pair of violet eyes began to dart all over the room, besides them, he'd been paralyzed. Yuugi was frozen in one spot, mentally wanting to escape or survey where he'd been taken to, but his muscles were quick to disobey.

And his heart would not cease it's crying.

_Thump, thump_

_Thump, thump_

A tremble came rolling up the hills of his back, it surged from lowest point and came tumbling up his spine.

_Where am I? Where?_

_Thump! Thump!_

_Thump! Thump!_

**_THUMP! THUMP!_**

His ears could have bled from the pitch, growing higher and higher. His heart was going to pop at any second, he damn well knew it too.

Yuugi shut his eyes, awaiting to wake from this nightmare. Had he fallen asleep at his desk again? Gods, he wanted to wake up. His breathing grew rapid, and at the moment he began to realize it, Yuugi sucked in lighter breaths in hopes it would settle his bleeding heart. Never had he experienced a cardiac complication in all his years, but this didn't feel like one.

It was going to tear straight through his chest, lay plain as day on the floor before him.

And yet, patters of footsteps came forward, along with the dull murmuring of eerie whispers in a language his did not understand. He couldn't see where the conversations came from, or what mouths they belonged to. It was surprising he could hear them over the heated pulses, burning ice hot into his veins.

Was this... Hell?

As useless as his body was, all he could do was shut his eyes and await for what judgement was bestowed upon him.

Suddenly, pain.

Much more than he had expected.

What began to cause it, alerted him and snapped him out of his pitiful attempts to calm down.

A bronze colored instrument had sliced a slit straight down at the center of his chest. A weapon that resembled a slightly hooked knife, preyed upon the sensitive skin. Minuscule crimson trickles grew into a river as it seeped from the center. His heart still raced, wanting to connect with the instrument that was carving straight into his form.

_Shit!_ He mentally screamed, unable to vocalize the pain. _I'm going die, oh my god, wake up! Please wake up_!

Someone, something, was going to rub him out and it began with an indention into his body. Yuugi raised his glare to the owner of said weapon, but he could not lift his head to see their facial features. What he saw was a dark completion, draped in ancient clothing, hands covered with gloves that lead to their elbows, and the deep male tone was murmuring wild hissing sounds.

_What the Hell is this?_

Such precision could've put a surgeon to same. He knew for sure this was no hospital, of course not, but he was bare as day. Not an ounce of clothing was found on his person. Yuugi was youthful even, opposing the old wrinkled body he was accustomed to for decades. Almost as though he'd skipped backwards in time. For now he stood with a younger form, nude, and awaiting to be slaughtered at the hands of a stranger with a dagger. The only reasonable assumption was that he was being tormented. _Maybe_.

How was he here?

The last thing he'd remembered was, Anzu's? Visiting her, seeing those strange grandkids of hers? The Game shop? Yeah, yeah that's it. His last memory was at home, did he fall asleep? And Akeno, he was... Oh, no. _The tears_... Hell, maybe he had died.

_No. That can't be the case. _

* * *

><p><strong><em>Flashback<em>**

Yeah, he was definitely talking his head off.

"You need to quit." Anzu slapped him a rolled up newspaper. Yuugi had been talking for hours upon end, usually about everything under the sun. Many of them, things they had already spoken of before. Maybe he did get a little too excited, but as tired and sore as he was, an old friend's company suited him fine. Anzu had fussed at him earlier for stopping by with little notice, damn that stirred her into twist she wouldn't believe! She already had the grandbabies over, now she had to make it look half decent for him too? Tah, not like Yuugi minded a messy house the slightest though.

A couple of kids roamed throughout the living room, plundering in whatever they could get their hands on. Most of them young, the eldest being sixteen, around the same age as Jounouchi's grandson. They cluttered the living space, stirring up arguments over who wanted to watch what on the tv, and the tossing of a remote slung back and fourth before Anzu had to raise her voice. She'd been the one of the last of her original cluster of friends, although her husband had died a many years ago. She lived alone in a small living space, fit for a visitor every once in a while. And Yuugi wasn't an exception, he'd seen her plenty of times before. Today was rather different though, but he had such a silly excuse for popping in.

"_You can't just barge in every time you think you're going die_." Yeah, that's what she said hours ago. Before he left, he'd given a subtle goodbye, he knew this would probably be their last meeting. It was an emotional one though, and _Yuugi just wouldn't shut up_. Perhaps Anzu was still in denial, but as soon as he went his ways, she knew it was far too late it make it worth while.

Fortunately though, he came down with a collapsing spasm that made him grip his arms firmly to his chest. He was lucky that Akeno was already on his way to pick him up and bring him back to the game shop. The boy saw him in this condition and nearly broke down for the second time. Along came the stubbornness of the elder though. Yuugi would be damned if he left himself die in a hospital, it was one thing he simply refused to do. Out of all his pain and how closely he flirted with death, he wanted to go peacefully, not surrounded by cold, lifeless instruments.

And yet as nighttime approached, his last wishes were nicely set out. He'd give Akeno his shop, even if he was still young, it went to ownership of his parents for the time being. However, the boy just couldn't accept such a deal. He threw more fits, more tears than he had before, appalled that the old man actually thought he'd die within minutes.

No one believed he was breathing his last breath that day.

It was funny how he went the same way his grandfather had.

When Akeno stopped by that next morning, the shop was still locked, and he knew why.

**_End Flashback_**

* * *

><p><em>What the fuck is going on!?<em>

Dabbles of red bled into the creases and dents into the flooring, masking over the calm cool colors and designs into a sea of cardinal plasma. It dampened his sides, slipping to the lap of his legs. The torture continues, but now deeper. The blade of knife slit further pasted roads of broken pale skin bleached to a blushed rose, muscles began to pry in pain, tightening into resistance. With eyes darkened and widened in shock, Yuugi wasn't able to defend, nor was he able to move, or do anything but endure the suffering. He'd been screaming, shouting and pleading for it to be over soon enough.

The weapon succeeded into tearing through ligaments of flesh and muscle, inflaming them with hot burning agony.

What did he do?

What the _fuck_ did he do?

Why?

Why now...

Yuugi shut his eyes, sucking in a breath that matched endless racing of his heart.

_Enough! Stop!_

The injuries had become deep enough to speculate just what the prosecutor had been looking for. Maybe for sick kicks perhaps, but he was searching for something. Yuugi wanted to vomit at the thick scent of his own essence coating his body, it resembled a smell of iron and rotten flesh. He wasn't dead, he knew that much. He would soon be if this continued.

_I don't understand._

Where did he go wrong? Had he lived his life in sin? There was no other way to see how he wasn't in Hell.

The cutting ceased as the weapon was dropped onto the floor, clattering into a chime as metal met with the stone tile. A large pair of hands replaced the area where the knife had been. N-No... _They weren't going to-_

"_Garrrrahahhhh!_" Was the only erupting vocal plead he could manage with his mouth still sealed shut. The vibrations rung into his throat, salty tears burning into harsh closed lids. What were you to do if you couldn't scream? The pain was unbelievable, this had to be a nightmare! A night terror! That wasn't real, hell no!

This man... With all his might, he was ripping Yuugi open! With such tremendous strength, the hands moved into opposite sides, ripping skin and muscle to pry him open. His heart erupted in pulses through the protection of his rib cage. Pink cartilage and fragile bones glistened as the gloved hand wiped torn pieces of his entrails away from it's target. His heart was there. He could... _He could see it_, surging to life and suffering.

_No... no, no! _He sobbed in his own prison of his mind.

But was that this stranger's goal?

A sick disgusting murder. Why hadn't Yuugi passed out? Why couldn't he move? Why was he still alive through his? What had he done to deserve this punishment!?

It only seemed to get worse from there on out.

Bones began snapping through the power of the man's hands, making them seem so easily broken, like twigs on a branch. Another roar of agony spread throughout Yuugi's chest. The snapping of the bones left his heart exposed and throbbing for safety. Still crying, still searching to calm it's beating.

_This is it. _

_The End. _

_Kill me, let it end, please._

What happened next threw Yuugi into a spiral of heated anguish, his eyes burned with tears, uncontrollable fits of sobs pouring from very pore once the hand took hold of it's prize. Just what he happened. Yuugi's heart raced mercilessly into the killers grasp. Pulling, yanking, and viscous snaps of veins and arteries were arousing from his chest. In full view, Yuugi saw every string of veins as they were slowly being pulled from the source of his vital organ, and now surging forward in the perpetrator's grip.

Hell.

_...Snap!_

The organ sprang free, detached from it's rightful owner and continued to gush, plentiful of blood in the palm of a devil's. Yuugi didn't breathe, he wasn't able to, but he saw everything, eyes fixated straight to the muscle stolen from him. He could still feel it's pulse, maybe. Just his mind playing tricks, he was dead, his brain needed to process it. In a matter of a seconds he would be gone and for the second time that night. He faced death.

He shut his eyes, awaiting for eternal slumber to over come him.

Maybe now.

Maybe this was the end.

_"Let him pass, we'll fish it out later."_

_"That's... You cannot withdrawal it?"_

_"I cannot, not now, not without damage to the boy's soul or the God's. Send him off. We'll see him again soon."_

_"Yes, my Lord. Of course." _

_"And... Keep an eye on him. Make sure nothing happens to him. As far as I'm concerned he will go undetected. Keep it that way." _

_"I will." _

* * *

><p><strong>Comments:<strong> What in the ever loving world just happened? owo Find out next chapter! Which will be hopefully be more happier, promise! Please review!


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